“Quia sorbitione faciam ego te hodie mea
Item, ut Medea Peliam concoxit senem,
Quem medicamentis, et suis VENENIS dicitur
Fecisse rursus ex sene adolescentulum
Item ego te faciam.”
Footnote 286:
See the dissertation on the operation of _Emetics_, page 84.
Footnote 287:
Cases and Observations, illustrating the influence of the Nervous
System, in regulating animal heat, by H. Earle, Esq.; published in the
7th volume of the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions.
Footnote 288:
By the use of this word I wish to be distinctly understood as
expressing only certain _effects_, without any regard to the causes
that may produce them. The phenomena of _Accumulation_ may on some
occasions depend upon the absolutely increased quantity of the
substance in the body, as in the instance of mercurial action, while
in others they may perhaps arise from the system becoming more and
more sensible to its stimulus. The history of Poisons would afford
some interesting illustrations of these views, and in another work
(Medical Jurisprudence, Vol. 2, p. 148), I have proposed a subdivision
of these bodies, under the title of “_Accumulative_ Poisons.”
Footnote 289:
“Diary of an Invalid.”
Footnote 290:
Med. Transact. Vol. 1, p. 5.
Footnote 291:
See Historical Introduction.
Footnote 292:
The Mechanical Physicians attempted to adjust the doses of medicines
according to the constitution, by a mathematical rule; thus they say,
“the doses are as the squares of the Constitution.” And in the
Edinburgh Medical Essays, there is actually a formal attempt to
correct the errors of this rule. See “An Essay towards ascertaining
the doses of vomiting and purging Medicines, by Dr. CHARLES BALGUY,
Physician at Peterborough.” Vol. 1. 167.
Footnote 293:
While this sheet was passing through the press, an anecdote was
related to me, which is well calculated to illustrate the mischief
that may arise from abbreviated prescriptions. One of our most eminent
surgeons having occasion to direct the application of a Lead Plaster
(Emplast: Lythargyi. P. L. 1787), he abbreviated the term as
follows—_Emp. Lyth:_ in the haste of compounding, the _h_, perhaps
carelessly written, was easily mistaken for _t_, and the chemist
accordingly sent the _Emplast: Lyttæ_! As it was applied to the
Pudenda, it is not necessary to state the distress of the patient, and
the dismissal of the practitioner, which followed.
Footnote 294:
Camphor, unless it be presented to the stomach in a state of minute
division, is liable to occasion heat and uneasiness in that organ.
Fothergill’s Med. Observ. vol. i. p. 432.
Footnote 295:
In some cases the subject to be pulverized has been previously exposed
to heat, but the doubtful influence of exalted temperature upon
vegetable bodies, ought to afford us a lesson of extreme caution; the
astringency of the stalks of the Artichoke is entirely destroyed by
being gently heated in an oven, for after this operation they no
longer strike a black colour with the salts of iron: another example
is afforded us in the effects of heat upon Starch, which is thus
changed into a species of gum, no longer producing a blue colour with
Iodine, and which is known in commerce under the name of “British
Gum.”
Footnote 296:
It is perhaps not generally known, that the sugared plumbs sold to
children consist very frequently of Plaister of Paris; the
introduction of such a substance into the intestines may often prove a
source of mischief. I also understand, that it is no uncommon fraud to
adulterate biscuits with the same substance. I confess I felt a great
inclination to oppose the practice, lately suggested, of improving bad
flour by the addition of Magnesia; I object to the introduction of any
foreign and insoluble substance into our daily bread, and I am
satisfied that the result of medical experience will sanction such an
objection.
Footnote 297:
Edition 2. 1823.—I shall avail myself of the present opportunity to
recommend this work to the perusal of every student who is ambitious
to become acquainted with the Literature of his profession.
Footnote 298:
Dr. Davy informs me that the _Veddahs_, a savage race inhabiting the
wilds of Ceylon, even in that hot climate, effectually preserve their
venison in honey.
Footnote 299:
There is one circumstance which sometimes renders the powder of
liquorice objectionable upon such occasions; it is liable to irritate
the fauces and occasion coughing: for this reason I always avoid its
use in cases of pulmonary irritation.
Footnote 300:
Some extracts become so hard, that in the state of pill they pass
unchanged; this has occurred to me with the _extract of logwood_.
Astringent vegetable matter, in combination with iron, is frequently
characterised by a hardness that is not exceeded by ebony, and which
is perfectly insoluble; the action of iron upon the petals of the red
rose furnishes a very striking instance of this fact; if the petals be
beaten in an iron mortar, for some hours, they ultimately become
converted into a paste of an intensely black hue; which, when rolled
into beads and dried, is susceptible of a most beautiful polish, still
retaining the fragrance of the rose. I have seen a necklace of this
description; indeed these beads form an article of extensive commerce
with the Turks, and are imported into Europe, through Austria, under
the name of _Rose Beads_ or _Rose Pearls_.
Footnote 301:
Crell’s Annals, 1798. vol. 1.
Footnote 302:
A remedy may even owe its virtues to a precipitation, produced by
admixture, as I have already stated.
Footnote 303:
See my work on MEDICAL CHEMISTRY, Sect. Cohesion.
Footnote 304:
Clyster from κλύζω eluo, to wash out.
Footnote 305:
Practical Observations on the Treatment and Cure of several Varieties
of Pulmonary Consumption; and on the Effects of the Vapour of Boiling
Tar in that Disease. By Sir A. Crichton, M. D. F. R. S. &c. London,
1823.
Footnote 306:
Pliny (Nat Hist. Lib. xxiii. cap. 6.) has the following interesting
allusion to the subject of Tar fumes, “Silvas eas duntaxat quæ picis
resinæque gratia raduntur, utilissimus esse phthisicis aut qui longa
ægritudine non recolligent vires, satis constat; et illum cæliaëra
plus ita quam navigationum Ægyptiani proficere, plus quam lactes
herbedos per montium æstiva potus.”
Footnote 307:
Εμβροκη, from βρεκω, _irrigo_.
Footnote 308:
_Illinire_, to besmear.
Footnote 309:
κολλυρὶον. This term was formerly applied to any medicament, solid or
liquid, employed to restrain defluxions; from κωλύω, _inhibo_ to stop,
and ῤοῦς _fluxio_, a running.
Footnote 310:
καταπλασσω _illino_, to besmear.
Footnote 311:
See _Pharmacopœia Chirurgica_.
Footnote 312:
Annales de Chimie, vol. xxxiii. p. 52.
Footnote 313:
A respectable Oilman of the name of STERRY, in the Borough, prepares a
plaster of this description, which is sought after with great avidity.
What a blessing it would be upon the community if every nostrum were
equally innocuous!
Footnote 314:
Persons who are exposed to fatigue by the standing posture, such as
washerwomen, &c. are particularly liable to sores of the legs, which
may be prevented and cured by affording this artificial support.
Footnote 315:
In my Lectures I have usually employed different colours for the
purpose of expressing the objects of each ingredient in a formula; in
this manner very useful and instructive charts might be constructed:
this hint may perhaps induce the industrious student, who is anxious
to become a master in the art of prescribing, to attempt a synopsis
upon this plan.
Footnote 316:
_In these Formulæ the Bark is decomposed, by the alkali; the
combination of the_ Kinic acid _and_ Cinchonia _being torn asunder;
but as the preparation is not filtered, the febrifuge principle is
taken into the stomach in a state of activity._
Footnote 317:
_This formula is introduced, as a combination supported by authority,
although it may be questioned whether its adoption can be sanctioned
upon principle. Let us decypher the intention of the different
ingredients by their_ KEY LETTERS. _The basis is Squill, to which
Digitalis is added, for the purpose we perceive of acting in unison
with it, and Calomel, which succeeds it, is intended to promote and
direct the diuretic Basis; two fœtid gums next present themselves to
our notice, and these are shewn by the bracket to exert a combined
action, depending, as the Key Letter announces, upon the medicinal
similarity, but acting in the general scheme of the formula, as shewn
by the exterior letter, for the purpose of fulfilling a second
indication, distinct and different from that which the Basis is
designed to answer, i. e. to produce, not a diuretic, but an
antispasmodic and stimulant effect; an important question then arises
for our consideration—Is the latter part of the formula consistent
with the former, or is the stimulant effect of the Gums compatible
with the sedative operation of Digitalis?_
Footnote 318:
Abĭes ab abeo, quod in cœlum longe abeat.
Footnote 319:
Dr. Maton, in his appendix to Mr. Lambert’s work on the genus _Pinus_,
observes that the _Thus_ of the ancients, (λὶβανος) does not appear to
have been the product of any species of Pinus, although we are
informed by Dioscorides (Lib. 1. c. 7.) that Pine resin was often
substituted for it. He describes, moreover, a method of distinguishing
between the two kinds; “Resin of the Pine,” says he, “when thrown into
the fire dissipates itself in smoke, whereas Frankincense burns with a
brisk flame, and with an odour that serves to detect the imposition.”
“Some authors, adds Dr. Maton, have considered the genuine λὶβανος
(_Thus_) to have been obtained from the Juniperus Lycia, and to
constitute the Olibanum of our shops, but I cannot find any passage in
the ancient authors sufficiently precise to corroborate this
conjecture.” Op: citat:
Footnote 320:
From α not, and ψὶντος pleasure.
Footnote 321:
Mouldiness is a peculiar plant, propagated by seeds, infinitely small;
Reaumur found the interior of an addled egg mouldy, hence the seeds
must have passed through the pores of the shell! Dr. Macculloch has
lately announced the curious fact, that the propagation of mouldiness
may be prevented by the presence of aromatic substances. See p. 177,
_Note._
Footnote 322:
This fact has enabled the Chemist to prepare an indelible ink, not
affected by acids.
Footnote 323:
KEYSER’S ANTIVENEREAL PILLS consist of this mercurial salt, triturated
with Manna.
Footnote 324:
Vinegar quenches the thirst, and is particularly refreshing after much
bodily exertion. It was this property that invigorated the soldiers of
Hannibal in their progress over the Alps; it is absurd to imagine that
Livy meant to assert that the rocks were _dissolved_ by Vinegar: the
expression is only metaphorical. See Sodæ Murias.
Footnote 325:
The varieties of vinegar known in commerce, are three, viz. _Wine_
Vinegar, _Malt_ Vinegar, and _Sugar_ Vinegar; to which may now be
added that from wood, and which is described under the title of ACIDUM
ACETICUM FORTIUS, or Acidum Aceticum, _e ligno destillatum_.
Footnote 326:
I apprehend that the superior power of animal charcoal, over that of
vegetable origin, in removing colouring matter, depends upon the
peculiar texture of the former. At the same time it must be
acknowledged, that there are certain phenomena which would appear to
indicate the existence of a chemical difference in these substances;
thus if Lime water be boiled with _animal_ charcoal, the whole of the
lime will be abstracted from the water, whereas the same effect is not
produced by the action of charcoal of _vegetable_ origin. See Liquor
Calcis.
Footnote 327:
The Sulphuric acid is added for the purpose of preserving the vinegar
from decomposition.
Footnote 328:
This quantity includes the alkali necessary to saturate the Sulphuric
acid which is allowed to be added. 145 grains of alkali is the
standard fixed by act of Parliament, which will be found to coincide
with the atomic weights of these bodies.
Footnote 329:
By _real_ Acetic acid is meant such an acid as occurs in a dry
acetate; it cannot exist uncombined with water, or a base.
Footnote 330:
This is a very ancient preparation, thus Ausonius,
“Scillato decies si cor purgeris aceto
Anticipitesque tuum Samii Lucomonis acumen.”
Footnote 331:
In following the directions of the College the first pint is rejected,
and this, according to Mr. Phillips (Remarks on the Pharmacopœia)
contains a notable quantity of acid. Hence Distilled Vinegar can never
be so strong as the Vinegar from which it is distilled.
Footnote 332:
Or it may be detected, in very minute quantities, by the elegant test
lately employed by Dr. Marcet, and which I have frequently repeated in
my Lectures with considerable satisfaction. It consists in adding a
little sulphuric acid with a small quantity of muriate of soda, and
then immersing a little gold leaf in the mixture, when after boiling
it, if any nitric acid should have been present, the gold leaf will be
dissolved.
Footnote 333:
It had been long known that by the destructive distillation of any
kind of wood, an acid is obtained, which was formerly considered of a
distinct and peculiar nature, and termed Acid Spirit of Wood, and
afterwards Pyroligneous Acid. Glauber appears to have been the first
chemist who was aware of its true nature, for he speaks of it as the
“Vinegar of Wood.” It was however reserved for Fourcroy and Vauquelin
to demonstrate its composition by experiment, and they have
accordingly proved beyond doubt that it is merely the Acetic acid,
contaminated with Empyreumatic oil and Bitumen. The address of modern
chemists has at length enabled them to get rid of every trace of these
latter ingredients, and to furnish an acid perfectly devoid of any
foreign flavour. The crude pyroligneous acid, as it is first received,
is rectified by a second distillation in a copper still, in the body
of which about 20 gallons of viscid tarry matter are left from every
100. It has now become a transparent brown vinegar, having a
considerable empyreuma; it is then redistilled and saturated with
quick-lime, and the liquid acetate is evaporated to dryness and
submitted to gentle torrefaction, in order to dissipate the
empyreumatic matter, and lastly the calcareous salt is decomposed by
sulphuric acid, when a pure, perfectly colourless, and grateful
vinegar rises in distillation.
Footnote 334:
This instrument was invented by Messrs. Taylors for this particular
purpose; the principle consists in forming a neutral salt with dry
hydrate of lime and the acid to be examined, and then taking the
specific gravity of the solution. Act 58. G. III. c. 65, § 8.
Footnote 335:
It may be necessary to state, that the Pharmaceutist should never
purchase acetic acid of greater strength than that of 75° of the
Acetometer, when it is intended for dilution, for although he might
thus avoid the expense of carriage, the saving will be more than
counterbalanced by the excessive duty levied upon acids above that
standard. There is moreover a great loss in the preparation of strong
acids, so that the manufacturer cannot afford to sell them at a price
which is merely proportional to their strength. Acid of 75° is
regularly kept by Messrs. Beaufoy for dilution, and if mixed with
eleven parts of pure water is equivalent to the common distilled
vinegar of the Pharmacopœia.
Footnote 336:
It ought to have been 1·048 of 55° Fah: but the error lies in the
scale of Taylor’s Acetometer, which appears to be incorrect at this
point.
Footnote 337:
I believe that no manufacturer, except Messrs. Beaufoy, makes an acid
stronger than this; the College sample was obtained from that house.
Footnote 338:
The Reviewer of Mr. Phillip’s Translation of the Pharmacopœia, in the
Royal Institution Journal for July, 1824, has fallen into an important
error upon this subject, against which it may be necessary to caution
the reader; he says, “the term ‘_diluted acetic acid_’ is properly
enough applied to Distilled Vinegar, but the process of distillation
might well have been rejected; for all medical purposes a dilute acid,
composed of one part of the concentrated acid, contained in the
Materia Medica, and four parts of water, is preferable. Of this
mixture, or of distilled vinegar, the specific gravity should be
1·009, and 1000 grains should saturate 145 grains of Sub-carbonate of
Soda.” The reviewer has mistaken the acid of sp. gr. 1·043 mentioned
by Phillips, as the strongest he has met with, for the Pharmacopœia
acid of sp. gr. 1·046; for, should he dilute the latter with only four
times its weight of water, he would produce a compound containing
5·686 per cent. of real acid, or one considerably stronger than the
strongest malt vinegar, and twice the strength of distilled vinegar.
The reviewer takes this occasion to indulge his favourite passion for
abusing the Pharmacopœia, and he asks with an air of sarcasm, Where
was Dr. Paris during the late revision? I answer—engaged in the
discharge of my duty as a humble member of the Committee, and I can
assure him that nothing which he has yet urged has convinced me that I
have failed in its fulfilment, or erred in its execution:—but it is
now my turn to enquire, and I do so with perfect good humour, where
the reviewer could have been when he composed the above passage? that
he was _not at home_, is I think sufficiently evident from the
statement which I have just offered.
Footnote 339:
A very useful practical application has been made of the Pyroligneous
Acid, for the purpose of correcting the excessive fœtor attendant upon
mortification. Dr. Samuel W. Moore of this city, (to whom we are
indebted for the suggestion,) has detailed the particulars of a case
of extensive mortification of the cheek, resulting from the use of
mercury, in which the acid was applied, and with the happiest success.
In a case of cancerous breast, it was also used with the same object,
and with similar effect. The mode of using it is simply to apply
pieces of lint or linen wet with the acid to the part affected. See
New-York Medical Repository, Vol. 22. p. 237.—_Ed._
Footnote 340:
AROMATIC VINEGAR is merely an acetic solution of camphor, oil of
cloves, of lavender, and of rosemary. The acetic acid used for this
purpose is about 145° of the acetometer, containing 68·5 per cent. of
real acid. A preparation of this kind may be extemporaneously made by
putting ʒj of Acetate of Potass into a phial with a few drops of some
fragrant oil, and in m xx of Sulphuric Acid.
THIEVES VINEGAR, or MARSEILLES VINEGAR, is a pleasant solution of
essential oils and camphor, in vinegar; the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia has
given a formula for its preparation under the title of “Acetum
Aromaticum.” The repute of this preparation as a prophylactic in
contagious fevers is said to have arisen from the confession of four
thieves, who, during the plague of Marseilles, plundered the dead
bodies with perfect security, and, upon being arrested, stated on
condition of their lives being spared, that the use of Aromatic
Vinegar had preserved them from the influence of contagion. It is on
this account sometimes called “Le Vinaigre des quatre voleurs.” It was
however long used before the Plague of Marseilles, for it was the
constant custom of Cardinal Wolsey to carry in his hand an orange,
deprived of its contents, and filled with a sponge which had been
soaked in vinegar impregnated with various spices, in order to
preserve himself from infection, when passing through the crowds which
his splendour or office attracted. The first Plague raged in 1649,
whereas Wolsey died in 1531. The French Codex has a preparation of
this kind, consisting of an acetic infusion of various aromatic herbs
and camphor, which is termed “Acetum Aromaticum Alliatum,” seu
“Antisepticum” _vulgo_ “des Quatre Voleurs.” p. 108. The German
Dispensatories abound with Medicated Vinegars, chiefly aimed against
Pestilential Diseases.
Footnote 341:
The more familiar of these are _Bitter Almonds_, the _Cherry Laurel_
(Lauro Cerasus,) the leaves of the _Peach tree_, the kernels of fruit,
pips of apples, &c. The prussic acid would appear to be most abundant
in the thin pellicle that envelopes the kernel; the fleshy parts of
these fruits do not contain it, and even the berries of the _Lauro
Cerasus_ may be eaten with impunity; and yet the distilled water, and
oil of this plant are the most destructive of all narcotic poisons, as
was evinced by the murder of Sir Theodosius Broughton, by Laurel
Water; and by the untimely fate of Dr. Price, of Guildford, in the
year 1782, who professing to convert Mercury into Gold, offered to
repeat his experiments before an adequate tribunal, but put a period
to his existence before the appointed day, by a draught of Laurel
Water. Consistent with theory, the watery extract of Laurel is
harmless, a fact easily explained, since the narcotic acid is entirely
volatilized before the fluid can assume the consistence of an extract.
The Laurel Water as a medicinal agent appears to have been long known.
Linnæus, informs us that it was frequently used in Holland, in
pulmonary consumption. (_Amænitat. Academ._ vol. iv. p. 40.) The Bark
of the _Prunus Padus_, or Bird Cherry Tree, was ascertained to contain
Prussic acid, by M. Bergemann, in 1811, and it is certainly a curious
fact, as Dr. Granville has observed, that superstitious people should
have selected the berries of this shrub to form necklaces, which are
hung round the neck of children to prevent fits and allay cough from
teething. For farther information upon this subject, the reader may
consult “The Chronological recapitulation respecting the Introduction
of the Prussic acid into the Practice of Physic,” in the work of Dr.
Granville, above cited.
Footnote 342:
See Journal of Science and the Arts, No. xxv.
The following table comprehends their results.
Quantity of liquid Acid. Specific Gravity. Real Acid per Ct.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
100·0 0·9570 16
66·6 0·9768 10·6
57·0 0·9815 9·1
50·0 0·9840 8·0
44·4 0·9870 7·3
40·0 0·9890 6·4
36·4 0·9900 5·8
33·3 0·9914 5·3
30·8 0·9923 5·0
28·6 0·9930 4·6
25·0 0·9940 4·0
22·2 0·9945 3·6
20·0 0·9952 3·2
18·2 0·9958 3·0
16·6 0·9964 2·7
15·4 0·9967 2·5
14·3 0·9970 2·3
13·3 0·9973 2·1
12·5 0·9974 2·0
11·8 0·9975 1·77
10·5 0·9978 1·68
10·0 0·9979 1·60
Footnote 343:
For a detailed account of this poison, see my work on Medical
Jurisprudence, vol. ii. p. 398.
Footnote 344:
It seems to be a contest for a shadow.
Footnote 345:
We agree with our author in the general estimate which he forms of the
Prussic Acid. The experience of practitioners in this country has by
no means confirmed the high expectations originally entertained of
this article. _Ed._
Footnote 346:
The only mineral substances in which this acid has been found is the
_Fer Azuré_ of Haiiy, and a new substance which is found accompanying
Welsh Culm, and of which I have given an account in the first volume
of the Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall,
although in this latter instance it is probably a product, not an
educt.
Footnote 347:
The following is the chemical reasoning upon which this process is
founded. “The prime equivalent of prussic acid is exactly one-eighth
of that of the mercurial peroxide. But as the prussiate of mercury
consists of two primes of acid to one of base, or is in its dry
crystalline state a _By-cyanide_, we have the relation of one to four
in the formation of that salt, when we act on the peroxide with cold
prussic acid.” Hence is derived the above simple rule of analysis.
(Journal of Science and the Arts.) Upon the same principle it has been
already stated, that the quantity of real acetic acid, in any given
sample of distilled vinegar may be discovered by the test of carbonate
of lime, see _Acid. Acetic. Fort._ They furnish beautiful
illustrations of the practical importance of the doctrine of Definite
Proportions.
Footnote 348:
This offers a striking example of the confusion produced by the
constant changes in chemical nomenclature; in the former editions of
this work, the term _Hydro_ was prefixed to _Muriatic Acid_, as an
epithet expressive of the presence of _water_, whereas the same word
is now used to denote the existence of _Hydrogen_ as one of its
elements.
Footnote 349:
Dr. Powell directs only _two_ parts of acid; but this is evidently too
little, for it appears by Dr. Wollaston’s scale, that 3 parts of salt
require 2½ of oil of vitriol for their decomposition; and in addition
to this, the oxide of manganese will require a farther addition to
convert it into a sulphate.
Footnote 350:
As Chlorine is by pressure condensable into a liquid, tubes containing
a small quantity of it, and hermetically sealed, might be very
usefully employed for this purpose, since by breaking off the
extremity, the chlorine would instantly assume the gaseous state, and
diffuse itself through the apartment.
Footnote 351:
There is a curious illustration of this fact in the German
“_Ephemerides_;” the case of a person is described who had taken so
much Elixir of Vitriol that his keys were rusted in his pocket, by the
transudation of the acid through his skin!
Footnote 352:
Nitric acid may be considered as one of the most efficient agents in
our possession for exciting prompt vesication. For this purpose, we
believe it was first used in the epidemic Cholera of the East Indies,
and the success which attended it in that fatal disorder suggested its
application in a variety of other diseases. The mode of using it is to
rub the surface intended to be vesicated, with the pure acid, and as
soon as pain is produced, to neutralize the acid by washing the part
with a solution of salt of tartar. If the object is to continue the
irritation, a common blister may be laid upon the part. _Ed._
Footnote 353:
_Nitrous acid gas_ is a combination of nitrous gas and oxygen.
Footnote 354:
ELIXIR OF VITRIOL. The preparation sold under this name is the Acid:
Sulph: Aromat: E. and is imperfectly ætherial in its nature. It is a
grateful medicine. A spurious article is often sold for it, which is
nothing but the diluted acid, coloured by the addition of a tincture.
I will take this occasion to state, that the term Elixir is of Arabian
origin, viz. Elechschir, or Elikscir, i. e. an Essence, or pure mass
without any dregs.
Footnote 355:
The Dublin college, on the authority of Willdenow, admits the A.
Neomontanum, as the species of Aconite which has always been used in
medicine; although the other colleges, in consequence of a botanical
error of Stöerck, who introduced it into practice, direct the A.
Napellus.
Footnote 356:
See note under the article opium.
Footnote 357:
Axunge, from its being used as the grease of wheels, ab Axe rotarum
quæ unguuntur.
Footnote 358:
DR. SMELLONE’S OINTMENT FOR THE EYES. It consists of half a drachm of
Verdigris finely powdered and rubbed with oil, and then mixed with an
ounce of yellow Basilicon, (Ceratum Resinæ, P. L.)
Footnote 359:
Alcohol is a term of Alchemical origin, and signified the pure
substance of bodies, separated by sublimation from the impure
particles, as Alcohol Antimonii, &c.
Footnote 360:
Garlic, leeks, and onions constitute a tribe of culinary vegetables
that has undergone great vicissitudes in reputation: amongst the
Egyptians the onion and leek were esteemed as divinities, thus
Juvenal,
“O sanctas gentes quibus hæc nascuntur in hortis
NUMINA!”
while by the Greeks, garlic was detested, although their husbandmen
had been from the most remote antiquity in the habit of eating it,
which Æmilius Macer explains by supposing that its strong odour was
useful in driving away the venomous serpents and insects by which they
were infested.
Horace alludes to this custom in his 3d Epode, which he composed in
consequence of having been made violently sick by garlic at a supper
with Macænas.
“Cicutis Allium nocentius
O dura Messorum ilia!”
The most powerful antidotes to the flavour of this tribe of vegetables
are the aromatic leaves and seeds of the UMBELLIFERÆ; thus the
disagreeable odour of a person’s breath after the ingestion of an
onion is best counteracted by parsley; and if leek or garlic be mixed
with a combination of aromatic ingredients, its virulence will be
greatly mitigated and corrected, nor does the fact seem to have
escaped the observation of the husbandman in Virgil,
“Allia, Serpyllumque, herbas contundit olentes.”
Eclog. 2. line 11.
And the fact itself offers an additional illustration of the important
principle of combination, discussed at page 148.
Footnote 361:
TAYLOR’S REMEDY FOR DEAFNESS. Garlic infused in oil of almonds, and
coloured by alkanet root.
Footnote 362:
Dr. Sibthorpe, in his Flora Græca, states that the Aloe Vulgaris is
the true Aloe described by Dioscorides.
Footnote 363:
From the action which aloes exercises over the large intestines it has
long been supposed that the continued use of it caused the production
of hemorrhoids. It would seem hardly possible that an opinion, so
generally received, could be without some foundation; and, no doubt,
in many cases it may produce such an effect. In my own experience,
however, I do not recollect to have met with it in a single instance,
even where its use had been continued for several months in
succession.
_Ed._
Footnote 364:
ANDERSON’S PILLS consist of the Barbadoes Aloes with a proportion of
Jalap, and Oil of Aniseed.
HOOPER’S PILLS.—Pil. Alöes cum Myrrha, (Pil. Rufi) Sulphate of Iron,
and Canella Bark, to which is added a portion of Ivory Black.
DIXON’S ANTIBILIOUS PILLS.—Aloes, Scammony, Rhubarb, and Tartarized
Antimony.
SPEEDIMAN’S PILLS.—Aloes, Myrrh, Rhubarb, Extract of Chamomile, and
some Essential Oil of Chamomile.
DINNER PILLS—LADY WEBSTER’S, OR LADY CRESPIGNY’S PILL. These popular
pills are the “Pilulæ Stomachicæ,” vulgo, “Pilulæ ante cibum” of the
Codex Medicamentarius Parisiensis. Editio Quinta, A.D. 1758. viz. ℞.
Aloes optimæ ʒvj, Mastiches, et Rosarum rubrarum āā ʒij, Syrupi de
Absinthio q, s, ut fiat massa,—the mass is divided into pills of 3
grains each. The operation of this pill is to produce a copious and
bulky evacuation, and in this respect experience has fully established
its value. It is difficult to explain the modus operandi of the
Mastiche, unless we suppose that it depends upon its dividing the
particles of the Aloes, and thereby modifying its solubility.
FOTHERGILL’S PILLS.—Aloes, Scammony, Colocynth, and Oxide of Antimony.
PETER’S PILLS.—Aloes, Jalap, Scammony, and Gamboge, equal part
ʒij—Calomel ʒi.
RADCLIFFE’S ELIXIR—℞. Aloes Socot: ʒvi, Cort:—Cinnamon et Rad: Zedoar:
āā ʒss—Rad: Rhei ʒi.—Coccinel: ʒss—Syrup: Rhamni f℥ij—Spirit: Tenuior:
oj—Aquæ Puræ f℥v.
BEAUME DE VIE, see Decoct: Aloes compositum.
THE ELIXIR OF LONGEVITY, of Dr. Jernitz of Sweden. This is an aromatic
tincture, with Aloes.
Footnote 365:
The best mode of using alum as a styptic is that of a _tepid saturated
solution_. In this form it proves much more efficacious in arresting
hemorrhage than in the usual way of applying it. Dr. Scudamore, to
whom we are indebted for this observation, has detailed some striking
and interesting experiments satisfactorily proving its correctness.
See “Scudamore on the Blood.” p. 157.—_Ed._
Footnote 366:
GODFREY’S SMELLING SALTS. This highly pungent preparation is obtained
by resubliming the common sub-carbonate of ammonia with pearlash, and
a proportion of rectified spirit. The sub-carbonate of potass in this
case, abstracts a fresh portion of carbonic acid from the ammoniacal
salt. Its atomic composition has not yet been ascertained, but it will
probably be found to consist of equal atoms of carbonic acid and
ammonia, and must therefore be a true Carbonate.
Footnote 367:
It appears that this is not the only article that has suffered in its
quality by the cheap materials which have been brought into the market
from those works. I understand that the practical chemist can obtain
little or no Naphtha from the Barbadoes Tar, owing to its adulteration
with the residue of the gas light process.
Footnote 368:
NOYAU.—Crème de Noyau. Bitter Almonds blanched 1 oz. Proof spirit half
a pint, Sugar 4 oz. It is sometimes coloured with cochineal. The
foreign Noyau, although differently prepared, is indebted to the same
principle for its qualities. It is a liqueur of a fascinating nature,
and cannot be taken to any considerable extent without danger; the
late Duke Charles of Lorraine nearly lost his life from swallowing
some “Eau de Noyau,” (water distilled from Peach kernels) too strongly
impregnated. Journal des Debats, 22, Decembre, 1814.
Footnote 369:
ALMOND PASTE. This Cosmetic for softening the skin and preventing
chaps, is made as follows: Bitter almonds blanched 4 oz.; the white of
an egg; rose water and rectified spirit, equal parts, as much as is
sufficient.
Footnote 370:
For the derivation of this term, and remarks thereon, see p. 38.
(Note).
Footnote 371:
The fecula of various grains are employed as articles of diet for the
sick, e. g. SAGO, prepared from the pith of the Cycas Circinalis, its
granular form is imparted to it by passing it, when half dry, through
a coarse sieve. SALOP, from the Orchis Mascula. TAPIOCA from the root
of the Jatropa Manhiot. By expressing the root of this plant, the
juice of which is extremely acrid, and baking the cake that is left,
an alimentary substance is prepared called CASSAVA, the peculiar merit
of which, like tapioca, is to swell and soften in water, and thus to
make an excellent pudding. ARROW ROOT is from the Maranta Arundinacea.
The arrow root however, usually sold, is the fecula of potatoes; 100
lbs. of which would yield about 10 lbs. of fecula, and it is worthy of
remark that for this purpose frozen potatoes answer as well as those
not spoiled by the frost. Dr. Ainslie, in his Materia Medica of
Hindostan, informs us that “an excellent Arrow root, if it may be so
called, is now prepared in the Travancore country from the root of the
Curcuma Angustifolia, no way inferior to that obtained from the
Maranta Arundinacea.”
Footnote 372:
The method of deducing the value of seeds, from their relative
weights, appears to have been one of the earliest instances of the art
of taking specific gravities; thus Pliny (Nat. Hist. lib. xviii.)
estimated the relative weights of several species of grain.
Footnote 373:
CHAMOMILE DROPS. The nostrum sold under this name is a spirit
flavoured with the essential oil of Chamomile. It is very obvious that
it cannot possess the bitter tonic of the flowers.
Footnote 374:
THE EVERLASTING PILL of the ancients consisted of _metallic_ Antimony,
which being slightly soluble in the gastric juice was supposed to
exert the property of purging as often as it was swallowed. This was
economy in right earnest, for a single pill would serve a whole family
during their lives, and might be transmitted as an heir-loom to their
posterity. We have heard of a Lady who having swallowed one of these
pills, became seriously alarmed at its not passing; upon sending
however for her physician, he consoled her with the assurance that it
had already passed through a hundred patients with the best effect.
Footnote 375:
The manner of doing it among the Turks, is described by Shaw and
Russel. Chateaubriand also remarks, “The women of Athens appear to me
smaller and less handsome than those of the Morea, their practice of
painting the orbits of the eyes blue, and the ends of the fingers red,
is disagreeable to the stranger.” Dr. Badham has also given us an
interesting note upon this subject in his learned Translation of
Juvenal. Sat. II. 1. 141. See also the present work, p. 49.
Footnote 376:
The Sulphuret of Antimony is an ingredient in SPILSBURY’S DROPS. See
Hydrargyri Oxy-murias. Dr. Duncan also observes that it seems to
constitute a quack remedy which has acquired some reputation in
Ireland for the cure of cancer, where it is used as an external
application to the sore.
Footnote 377:
This saline body was first made known by Adrian de Mynsicht in his
Thesaurus Medico-chymicus, published in 1631; although it appears
probable that the preparation was suggested by a treatise, entitled
“Methodus in Pulverem,” published in Italy in 1620. This book, written
by Dr. Cornachinus, gives an account of a method of preparing a powder
which had been invented by Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and which had
acquired considerable celebrity in Italy; this powder was composed of
Scammony, Sulphuret of Antimony, and Tarter, triturated together.
Footnote 378:
There is a Tartrate of Antimony, but it can scarcely be made to
crystallize; it easily assumes a gelatinous form; and it may be here
observed that Antimony is one of those metals whose oxides seem to
combine with difficulty, and to form compounds of little permanency
with acids, unless there be present at the same time an alkali or
earth; and their solutions, in most cases, yield, on dilution, a white
precipitate.
Footnote 379:
The compound of Tartarized Antimony and Bark, is said to purge, and to
constitute the “Bolus ad Quartanas” of the French physicians.
Footnote 380:
The Sugar is added with a view to prevent the ointment from becoming
rancid.
Footnote 381:
NORRIS’S DROPS. A solution of tartarized antimony in rectified spirit,
and disguised by the addition of some vegetable colouring matter. I am
credibly informed that the original recipe contained opium, but that
which I have examined, and which was procured from a respectable
agent, yielded no indications of its presence.
Footnote 382:
Hard water has a tendency to produce diseases in the spleen of certain
animals, especially sheep: this is the case in the eastern side of the
island of Minorca, as we are informed by Cleghorn. The mischievous
tendency of bad water, where it cannot be corrected by some chemical
process, would seem to be best counteracted by bitter vegetables.
Virey supposes that this circumstance first induced the Chinese to
infuse the leaves of the tea plant.
Footnote 383:
Alpini informs us that Elephantiasis is endemial in Egypt; Galen
ascribes it to the impure waters of the Nile, and Lucretius adopted
the same opinion.
“Est Elephas morbus, qui propter flumina Nili
Gignitur Ægypto in Medio.”
Footnote 384:
Dr. Percival observes that bricks harden the softest water, and give
it an aluminous impregnation; the common practice of lining wells with
them, is therefore very improper, unless they be covered with cement.
Footnote 385:
The same strumous affection occurs at Sumatra, where ice and snow are
never seen; while, on the contrary, the disease is quite unknown in
Chili and Thibet, although the rivers of these countries are chiefly
supplied by the melting of the snow with which the mountains are
covered. The trials of Captain Cook, in his voyage round the world,
prove the wholesomeness of _Ice water_ beyond a doubt; in the high
southern latitudes he found a salutary supply of fresh water in the
ice of the sea; “this melted ice,” says sir John Pringle, “was not
only sweet but soft, and so wholesome as to shew the fallacy of human
reasoning unsupported by experiments.”
Footnote 386:
I take this opportunity of observing that I have made analyses of
several of those springs in Cornwall, which have from time immemorial
enjoyed a reputation in the neighbourhood for curing diseases, amongst
which were the waters of Holywell, so named from its supposed virtues,
and those of Permiscen Bay, equally extolled for their medicinal
qualities. But I have only been able to detect minute quantities of
carbonate of lime, derived from infiltration through banks of
calcareous sand. See Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of
Cornwall, Vol. I.
Footnote 387:
See “Remarks on the Pump water of London,” by W. Heberden, M. D. in
the 1st. vol. of the Medical Transactions; also, Acad. Royale des
Scienc. 1700, Hist. pag. 58. Perrault Vitruve. L. VIII. c. 5.
Footnote 388:
I am informed by a respectable chemist in this town, that he sells a
large quantity of alum for this very purpose, as well as to publicans
for the sake of clearing their spirituous liquors; for the same end,
we are told, that the wine merchants in Paris put into each cask of
wine as much as a pound of alum.
Footnote 389:
This is particularly the case with respect to the water of the River
Thames; for as it contains but a small proportion of saline matter, it
is remarkably soft, although it holds suspended mud, and vegetable and
animal debris, which occasion it to undergo a violent change on being
kept: a large volume of carburetted and sulphuretted hydrogen gases is
evolved, and it becomes black and insufferably offensive; upon racking
it off however into large earthen vessels, and exposing it to the air,
it gradually deposits a quantity of black slimy matter, and becomes as
clear as crystal, and perfectly sweet and palatable, and is
exceedingly well adapted for sea store. “THE NEW RIVER WATER” contains
a small proportion of muriate of lime, carbonate of lime, and muriate
of soda; it differs also in its gaseous contents: 100 cubic inches of
New River Water contain 2·25 of carbonic acid, and 1·25 of common air,
whereas the water of the Thames contains rather a large quantity of
common air, and a smaller proportion of carbonic acid.
Footnote 390:
The law which determines such combinations has been investigated with
singular ingenuity and success by Dr. Murray, (Transactions of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1816). Berthollet had already established
the important fact, that combinations are often determined by the
force of cohesion, in such a manner, that in principles acting on each
other, those on which this force operates most powerfully, in relation
to the fluid which is the medium of action, are combined together;
hence from a knowledge of the solubility of the compounds which
substances form, we may predict what combinations will be established
when they act on each other, those always combining which form the
least soluble compounds. It is for the extension of these views, and
for the useful application of them, that we are indebted to Dr.
Murray, who justly observes that if the force of cohesion can so far
modify chemical attraction, as to establish among compound salts
dissolved in any medium, those combinations whence the least soluble
compound are formed, we are entitled to conclude that the reverse of
this force, i. e. the power of a solvent, may produce the opposite
effects, or cause the very reverse of these combinations to be
established, so that in a concentrated medium the least soluble will
be formed, and in a dilute one, the more soluble compounds will be
established. Hence follows the simple rule by which the actual state
in which saline bodies exist in a solution may be determined, viz.
that in any fluid containing the elements of compound salts, the
binary compounds existing in it will be generally those which are most
soluble in that fluid, and the reverse combinations will only be
established by its concentration favouring the influence of cohesion.
It appears that by simply evaporating a saline solution we may produce
changes in its composition, and obtain products which never existed in
its original state of dilution; thus, suppose muriate of magnesia and
sulphate of soda to be dissolved in water, as is actually the case in
the water of the ocean, and the solution to be concentrated by
evaporation from heat; the combinations of sulphate of magnesia and
muriate of soda, being on the whole less soluble in water, this
circumstance of inferior solubility, or the force of cohesion thus
operating, actually determines the formation of these compounds; and
the production of sulphate of magnesia from the bittern is to be
explained upon this principle. Since it appears therefore that the
influence of solubility is most important, temperature, to whose
dominion it is under all circumstances subject, must necessarily be
alike powerful; let us exemplify this fact by the action of the very
salts under consideration; it has been just stated that muriate of
magnesia and sulphate of soda decompose each other in a concentrated
solution at a high temperature, producing muriate of soda and sulphate
of magnesia, but at temperatures below 32° the reverse actually takes
place, muriate of soda and sulphate of magnesia reacting, and being
converted into sulphate of soda and muriate of magnesia; a fact
evidently owing to the relation of the solubility of these salts to
temperature. Muriate of soda has its solubility scarcely altered,
either by heat or cold; sulphate of soda is, in these respects,
completely the reverse; hence at an elevated temperature, muriate of
soda is the least, and sulphate of soda the most soluble salt, whilst
at a low temperature, the reverse of this happens. All the
circumstances of this investigation are most interesting; the medical
practitioner will at once perceive its importance, as enabling him to
appreciate the real nature of saline solutions, and even in many
instances to preserve their identity. See Aquæ Minerales.
Footnote 391:
There is a precaution respecting the preservation of these waters for
analysis with which the chemist ought to be acquainted; it will be
fully explained by the relation of the following anecdote. M. Wurza,
on examining some bottles of Chalybeate water, could detect no signs
of iron in them, and on seeking for the cause of this circumstance, he
discovered it in the astringent nature of the corks which had combined
with the metallic substance, and abstracted it from the water.
Footnote 392:
The Mineral Springs in the United States more especially deserving of
notice, are those of Saratoga and Ballston in the State of New-York,
and of Schooley’s Mountain in New-Jersey. Of the two first, various
analyses have been published by different chemists, but with so little
uniformity of result as to leave their true chemical character still
in a state of uncertainty. An account of these discrepancies may be
seen in the New-England Journal of Medicine and Surgery for 1817. As
the analyses of Dr. Steel appear upon the whole to be most
satisfactory, we shall quote them. One gallon of the water was the
quantity used in the experiments.